Switching device for the automatic electric control of the feed mechanism of a fancy doubler



April 14, 1959 F. MULLER 2,381,585

SWITCHING DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC CONTROL OF THE FEED MECHANISM OF A FANCY DOUBLER Filed June 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll 3 e 1%.? I.

i 1959 I v F. MULLER 2,

SWITCHING DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC CONTROL OF THE FEED MECHANISM OF A FANCY DOUBLER Filed June 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jnyem on' UnitedStates Patent SWITCHING DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC ELEC- TRIC CONTROL OF THE FEED MECHANISM OF A FANCY DOUBLER Friedrich Miiller, Berlin-Schoneberg, Germany, assignor to Berliner Maschinenbau A. G. vormals L. Schwartzkopfi, Berlin, Germany Application June 6, 1956, Serial No. 589,735 Claims priority, application Germany June 6, 1955 5 Claims. (Cl. 57-91) This invention relates to a device for the automatic control, for instance by way of magnetic couplings, of the driving means of the feed mechanism of a fancy doubler. Through a special construction of the parts of the device, at which the fancy combinations are regulated, the fancy adjustment maybe carried out easily, quickly and with far greater range of variation; and through control by way of a photoelectric cell the mechanical wear of the switch members of the-device is prevented, and the reliability of the entire arrangement greatly increased.

Devices are known of this kind, which by means of cam discsor cam chains and-press-buttons or by means of indexing discs with contact segments and sliding contacts control the magnetic couplings of a fancy doubler. These known devices have, however, the following disadvantages:

The adjustmentof another switching sequence for the purpose of obtaining a different fancy combination is fairly complicated and is only possible through the exchange of the control member (cam disc or the like) for a control member with another switching combination. Should, however, a control member with the desired combination not be available or if an entirely new fancy combination is to be adjusted or tried out, it becomes necessary to make a new control member. Moreover, the possibilities of the switching combinations are limited with the known devices.

The invention avoids the disadvantages of the known devices through the expedient, that for controlling the formation of fancy threads a control member with a greater number of parts which are adjustable on the spot, for instance by sliding or tilting, for actuating an electric switch member is provided, whereby each switching combination can be easily adjusted without any changing of parts, and that by an interference mechanism the switching member has an oscillating motion imparted to it in the direction of motion of the control member and thereby the regularity of the switching sequence is displaced.

According to the invention the control member has a large number of adjustable parts for adjusting any switching combination required for obtaining the desired effects easily, quickly and without changing parts. Further, due to an oscillating motion imparted to the switching member through an eccentric mechanism the switching sequence, adjusted at the control member, can be superposed with the oscillations of the switching member. In this way with one arrangement the frequently desired oscillating irregularities of the effect become possible, which cannot be carried out with other arrangements.

By means of the two forms of the switching device here shown by way of example, with cam disc or photoelectric cell, it is not only possible to overcome the disadvantages of the known devices, but even to obtain considerable improvements. The control by way of a photoelectric cell, is, perhaps, preferable to the other kind of control, as with the photoelectric cell control there will A small gap between the shutter elements be no mechanical wear of the switch members of the device, whereby the reliability of the device is greatly increased. The examples of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a switching device with a photoelectric cell with a cutaway place in the diaphragm cylinder and a section of photoelectric cell casing for viewing the source of light and the photoelectric cell;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the switching device with a -photoelectric cell with a cutaway place in the diaphragm cylinder and a dotted line indication of the photoelectric cell in the photoelectric cell casing;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a switching device with a push-button switch and Figure 4 is a plan view of the switching device with a push-button switch.

For the control by way of a photoelectric cell as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device has a flat diaphragm cylinder which is rigidly connected by its bottom 2 with a shaft 3. The circular wall of the diaphragm cylinder is formed by a number of strip-like shutter members 4 which are disposed close to one another. The shutter strips 4 are arranged with their lengths in the axial direction of the cylinder, but are not rigidly connected to the bottom of the cylinder, being held by a ring 5 in such a manner as to be slidable in the axial direction, as shown in Figure 2 from a-d. The ring 5 is connected by several thin screws (not'shown), which pass through the gaps between the shutter elements, into the bottom 2.

has no disturbing effect, as the light sensitiveness of the photoelectric cell can be so adjusted that the photoelectric cell will only respond when the diaphragm is quite open. On the shaft 3 is mounted so as to be rotatable a supporting member 6, on which are supported a source of light 7, a slotted screen 8 and a photoelectric cell casing 9 with the photoelectric cell 10. The slotted screen 8 and the casing 9 of the photoelectric cell have narrow apertures 11 and 12 for the passage of a limited light ray from the source of light 7 to the photoelectric cell 10. The source of light 7 and the slotted screen 8 are so arranged on the supporting member 6 that they are within the periphery of the diaphragm cylinder and are separated by the circular wall of the diaphragm cylinder from the photoelectric cell 10 disposed outside the diaphragm cylinder (Figure 2). Thus, the light ray coming from the source of light 7 through the slotted screen 8 is interrupted by the circular wall of the diaphragm cylinder and, during the rotary motion of the diaphragm cylinder can reach the photoelectric cell in full strength only where, by displacing the shutter strips 4a-d in the circular wall of the diaphragm cylinder, gaps eh are formed. In this way the switching function of the photoelectric cell is very easily and quickly determined by displacing the shutter strips 4 corresponding to the desired switching sequence, thus the light-intercepting function of the circular wall of the diaphragm cylinder is interrupted by gaps eh, as they are formed. For operating the magnetic coupling by the photoelectric cell a normal electric control of a known kind has been adopted, for which reason it is not described here.

The photoelectric cell carrier 6 bears with its outer end against an eccentric 13 which can be rotated by a shaft 14. A spring 15 presses the carrier 6 against the eccentric 13 in such a manner that, on the eccentric turning, the carrier 6 has an oscillating motion imparted to it. As the photoelectric cell 10 naturally oscillates with the oscillating supporting member 6, the switching sequence of the photoelectric cell adjusted by the shutter strips 4 is periodically and alternately retarded or shortened. The eccentric gear 13, 14 is not in continuous operation, but is put in operation as required by way of any separable connection, not shown in the drawing.

For the control by way of a push-button switch as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the device has a disc 16 which is rigidly connected with a shaft 17 and has at the periphery a great number of adjustable cams 18. The pin-like cams 18 are supported in the disc 16 in such a manner that they can tilt over sideways (Figures 3 and 4). As only the erect cams il actuate the light-touch switch 19, every desired cam combination can be adjusted easily and quickly by allowing the cams 18 to stay erect or by tilting them over. The cams can also be arranged on the disc so that they are carried in axial bores at the rim of the disc and are adjusted in the axial direction. The light-touch switch 19 is supported by a carrier 21 which is rotatable on the shaft 17. The carrier 21 bears with its outer end against an eccentric 22 and can, just as in the construction with a photoelectric cell, be given an oscillatory motion by the eccentricgear 22, 23 and a spring 24. The object and efiect of the oscillatory motions are the same as in the case of the photoelectric cell control.

A fancy doubler usually has several magnetic couplings which have to be controlled; thus, it is suitable to mount on one shaft several control devices with photoelectric cell or push-button switch next to one another. The arrangement of two photoelectric .cell sets .or two push-button switches, one on each side, is useful for space saving reasons.

I claim:

1. A control device of the type'usedfor controlling the I circuits of the delivery devices of a twisted-yam machine comprising in combination a cylindrical member mounted for rotation on a shaft passing through its axis, a housmg fixed adjacent the periphery of the member, circuit controller means mounted in said housing, a series of elements fixed to the periphery of said cylindrical member and selectively movable to operative position whereby to cooperate in seriatim with said circuit controller means to actuate the same, and an eccentric fixed to a turnable shaft below the housing to engage against the same to impart an oscillating motion to the said circuit controller means for periodically shortening the actuation time.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein the said elements comprise an array of spaced cams, and the said circuit controller comprises a switch engageable by the said cams.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein the said cylindrical member has a hollow periphery and the said circuit controller comprises a photoelectric cell and a source of light respectively spaced on opposite sides of the periphery of the said cylindrical member and on the same side of the shaft.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 3, wherein the said elements comprise screens arranged lengthwise in the axial directionof the said member to selectively shield the photoelectric cell from the light source.

5. The invention as set forth in claim 4, including spring means urging the said housing against the said eccentric.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,201,844 Wilson May 21, 1940 2,463,534 Hawkins Mar. 8, 1949 2,612,743 Strother Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 486,806 Great Britain June 10, 1938 

